Study: Worcester a good place for college grads

Tuesday

May 28, 2013 at 10:12 PM

Posted By Walter Bird Jr.

College grads may think bigger is better when it comes to picking a city to locate to after graduation, but a recent study suggests a smaller city might be a better fit - and that's good news for Worcester. According to a report on creditdonkey.com, Worcester is the seventh best small city to live in for a recent college grad.

The news was also positive for Connecticut, which had two areas listed in the Top 10.

The report cited a study that shows cities like Worcester are more manageable than their larger counterparts, such as New York, San Francisco or Chicago, while still offering strong job opportunities. The study pointed out Worcester's median income of $41,260 as well as its College Premium - how much an employer is willing to pay to someone with a degree versus a job applicant with only a high school diploma. In that area, Worcester ranked 56.1 percent. The city had a cost of living of 91.8 percent, according to the study, which was lower - and better - than the average of 100.6.

&quot;Not far from Boston, but much, much less expensive, Worcester has a median income that&rsquo;s about average for the cities we looked at, but residents can expect to save more of their money thanks to a fairly low cost of living,&quot; the report states. &quot;The area&rsquo;s employers also pay a premium of 56 percent to college graduates compared with high school grads.

The study used data from the US&nbsp;Census Bureau and the Council for Community and Economic Research. The study focused on metropolitan areas with populations between 400,000 and 1 million.